Daniel

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture

Stephen Miller

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 1994
• ISBN:
  9781433675591
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include: * commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION;* the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary;* sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages;* interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole;* readable and applicable exposition.

Section X

Section X Outline

• X. Daniel's Final Vision (10:1–12:13)
  1. Preparation for the Vision (10:1–11:1)
     1. Setting (10:1–3)
     2. Vision of the Heavenly Being (10:4–9)
     3. The Interpreting Angel's Explanation (10:10–14)
     4. Daniel Strengthened to Understand the Vision (10:15–11:1)
  2. The Vision (11:2–12:3)
     1. Prophecies concerning Persia (11:2)
     2. Prophecies concerning Greece (11:3–4)
     3. Prophecies concerning Egypt and Syria (11:5–20)
     4. Prophecies concerning Antiochus IV Epiphanes (11:21–35)
     5. Prophecies concerning the End Times (11:36–12:3)
  3. Final Instructions to Daniel (12:4–13)
     1. Instructions to Preserve the Message (12:4)
     2. Duration of the “Time of Distress” (12:5–7)
     3. Daniel's Question and the Reply (12:8–13)

X. Daniel's Final Vision

Daniel's last recorded vision extends from chap. 10 until the end of the book and is a literary unit. In this vision an angel appeared to the prophet and revealed to him the history of Israel from the Persian period (the time when the vision was given) until the coming of the kingdom of God. These chapters cover the same matters dealt with earlier in the book, but much greater detail is provided concerning the Greek Empire. Additional information also is divulged about the Antichrist and the tribulation period of the last days.

Though Daniel did have a vision of an awesome heavenly personage in 10:4–9, the message itself was not presented in the visionary symbolism of animals and a great sea, as in chaps. 7 and 8, but in a direct revelation given through a heavenly messenger as in chap. 9. The angel, as in the previous chapter, seems to have appeared in actual, bodily form.

A threefold division of the final revelation is apparent: preparation for the vision (10:1–11:1), the contents of the vision (11:2–12:3), and final instructions to Daniel (12:4–13). Chapter 10 is an introduction to the message itself and relates the setting, a vision of an awe-inspiring heavenly person, and the coming of the interpreting angel to impart wisdom to the prophet. One significance of this chapter is that it “states or implies important facts relative to angels and demons and their respective interests in the people and work of God.”1

1. Preparation for the Vision

(1) Setting

10:1–3

10:1 Daniel's final “revelation” came “in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia.”2 Each of the four visions (chaps. 7–12) is dated, and the visions appear in two groups of two: the first and third years of Belshazzar and the first and third years of Cyrus.3 Cyrus's third year would have been 536/535 B.C., two years after Gabriel's appearance to Daniel in chap. 9 and a short while after the first return of the Jewish exiles to Palestine. About this time the lions' den incident took place, though it is not certain if it happened shortly before or after the vision.4

Verse 1 forms a general statement of introduction to the vision, and the third person seems to have been chosen for that reason. Daniel interjected his Babylonian name, “Belteshazzar,” apparently to emphasize that he was indeed the same individual spoken of earlier in the book. After all, it had been over seventy years since he had been taken into captivity; he would now have been about eighty-five years of age. Yet he was still alive and serving the Lord.

Probably Daniel's advanced years and responsibilities in Babylon prevented him from making the long and arduous journey to his homeland with the other Jewish returnees. The respected statesman may also have felt that he could be of greater service to his people in Babylon than in Palestine.

Although the vision was extraordinary, Daniel stressed that “its message was true [’ĕmet].” “It concerned a great war” has been variously interpreted. “War” is a translation of Hebrew ṣābā’, “army, war, warfare, or service.”5 The NASB takes the phrase to signify that the message was “one of great conflict [ṣābā’]” (cf. “it concerned a great conflict,” NRSV), and the KJV understands it to mean that the message was for the distant future, “the time appointed [taking ṣābā’ to mean “service, time of serving”] was long [lit., great].” The KJV's interpretation would be very unusual and is unlikely.

Literally the Hebrew text reads simply “and a great war” or “conflict,” with the verb to be supplied. The phrase could refer to a great earthly war (or wars) that would occur in the future, or it could even describe spiritual warfare between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. Both interpretations would suit the context well, for a conflict between spiritual forces is described in chaps...

Table of contents

• Daniel
• Editors' Preface
• Author's Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Section I
• Section II
• Section III
• Section IV
• Section V
• Section VI
• Section VII
• Section XIII
• Section IX
• Section X